Friday, January 17, 2014

Jan 13th to 16th - Mesa

Jan 13th – Mon
We had 10 vehicles loaded with bicycles on our street at 10 this morning for a ride at Tempe Town Lake.  It was a little difficult to keep everyone together on the road which was necessary since only a few of us knew where to find the parking lot under the freeway.  Bikes were unloaded and 27 riders hit the trail around the lake.  It was cool enough at 9 that Terry & I changed from shorts to long pants but it warmed up nicely.
We went for lunch at Rula Bula where we have eaten in the past.  There was room in the outside patio (6 tables) for all of us but the restaurant was short 3 employees so lunch took a while to arrive and the checks were a mixed up mess.  Even though the largest table was 6 people, the restaurant charged everyone an 18% gratuity as they viewed us as one large group for dining.  Considering the uneven service this was not a popular action.
Some of us rode around the other end of the lake after lunch and some who had to get home sooner (or whose body let them down!) cut across the pedestrian bridge.  Shortly after we got back, quite a few of us went to the pool area to hit the hot tub but we ended up sitting on couches & talking/drinking rather than getting wet.
We had to get the laundry done so I came back before Terry to get it sorted out.  While the clothes were in the washer I prepped for dinner which I made when the laundry was done & put away.  Computer games & TV for the rest of the evening.

Jan 14th – Tues
We borrowed Dennis & Gloria’s golf cart so we could take Larry & Barb on a tour of the park.  We checked out the big tortoises and fed them some celery.  Barb loved the sewing center and the guys had to drag us out to finish the tour.
We went to the courtyard to listen to Jeff Stevens.  We found out from Ernie & Dianne that he plays at the AZ Opry with “Mark Lucas and the Wild Bunch” which we will be going to in April.
We had an early dinner and went to line dance lessons.  We reviewed dances and are feeling pretty good with the 3 taught in this session.
Darlene invited us over when we got back and we were joined by Ron & Terry for a drink & lots of laughs.

Jan 15th – Wed
Larry Barker (Larry & Barb) came over for coffee this morning.  I have to start using last names sometimes as there are too many duplicates! 
We went to Power Square to get a juicer at the kitchen store and they were out of stock so we stopped for lunch at 5 ‘N Diner and then went to WalMart where we got a juicer and some groceries.  I just had time to put everything away and make up a big veggie platter before it was time to go to a party.
The party was put on by Bill & Beth Cross at Rancho’s community center.  It was Beth’s birthday but they called it a Friendship party rather than a birthday party this year.  It started at 3 and they had 3 music groups for 2 hours each – North Star, Randy Johnson and Curtis Knox.  They graciously allowed us to invite Larry & Barb and we all had a great time dancing, drinking, eating and socializing.

Jan 16th – Thurs
We went to Val del Oro (another CalAm park also known as “VDO”) to check out their country store which is huge.  There are vendors along one section of the parking area, inside the ballroom and in the courtyard.  We bought a few small items.  This park is huge so we were surprised to run into Dave King who used to stay here.  His wife Glo was playing in a billiards tournament so we got to say hi and get big hugs.
We went to Mickey D’s to have breakfast for lunch and stopped on the way back to get the truck washed.  I actually finished a level in Candy Crush while we were waiting. 
We went to Garry & Steph’s for a HH in their new-to-them park model in the Fiesta section of the park.  They have a big Arizona room which is their living room and Garry is adding a 2nd bathroom to the back section of the AZ room.  We couldn’t stay too long as we had to join a group by the pool to wish Mike a happy birthday.  He wasn’t there right away so we sat in the courtyard to listen to April Walker and have a few dances.
We were ready for dinner & TV when we got home.

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